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Moving to or from Germany: what happens to parental allowance?

By , Dipl.-Finanzwirt (FH), graduate in public finance Updated

Are you moving to Germany shortly before or after the birth? Or are you leaving Germany while receiving parental allowance? Then the country that pays often changes. What matters is whether the other country belongs to the EU, the EEA or Switzerland. This page uses three families to show how it works in practice.

In short

  • Within the EU, EEA and Switzerland, the country previously responsible pays until the end of the calendar month in which the change takes place. The new country pays from the 1st of the following month.
  • Months in which you received a comparable benefit abroad count in Germany as used-up months of basic parental allowance – at most 12 per parent.
  • If you move to a country outside the EU, the entitlement ends at the end of the month of your child’s life in which you give up your residence in Germany – except in the special cases of section 1(2) BEEG.
  • Income from countries outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland does not count. After moving from there, you often only receive the minimum amount.

Moving within the EU: who pays in the month of the move?

A move, a new job or the start of a pension can change responsibility. Under the EU regulation, the following applies to the month of the change:

  • The country that was responsible at the start of the calendar month pays until the end of that calendar month.
  • The new country pays from the 1st of the following calendar month.
  • If the event happens during a day, such as a move, responsibility changes on the next day.

Because German parental allowance is paid per month of the child’s life, this leads to a daily calculation.

The Haddad family: moving to Germany in the 4th month of life

Samira and Karim live in EU country A. Karim works there, Samira does not. Their daughter is born on 15 July. On 10 October the family moves to Germany. Karim starts a job here on the same day. From now on Germany is responsible.

Month of life
Period
Who pays?
Month of life
1
Period
15 Jul–14 Aug
Who pays?
Country A
Month of life
2
Period
15 Aug–14 Sep
Who pays?
Country A
Month of life
3
Period
15 Sep–14 Oct
Who pays?
Country A
Month of life
4
Period
15 Oct–14 Nov
Who pays?
Country A from 15 to 31 Oct, Germany from 1 to 14 Nov
Month of life
from 5
Period
from 15 Nov
Who pays?
Germany

Calculation:

  1. Country A was responsible at the start of October. It pays until 31 October.
  2. Germany pays from 1 November. For the 4th month of life Germany only pays for 1 to 14 November, i.e. 14 of the 31 days of this month of life, at the amount due for those days. The parental allowance office calculates the exact amount.
  3. Months used up: Months 1 to 3 are used up by country A’s payments. The 4th month is used up by country A and Germany together.

Variant: If country A already pays from 1 July, i.e. from the 1st of the month of birth (as France does for a first child if no maternity benefit was received), the result does not change. The payment from 1 to 14 July falls before the birth and does not use up an extra month of life.

The Berger family: moving from Germany to another EU country

Lukas is born on 20 March. His mother is entitled to €900 parental allowance a month. In the course of 23 September the family moves to another EU country. Germany thereby loses responsibility on 24 September.

Calculation:

  1. If Germany loses responsibility during a calendar month, it pays parental allowance on a daily basis until the end of that calendar month, even if the month of life ends earlier or later.
  2. The guidelines calculate: €900 ÷ 30 × 7 days = €210 until 30 September. The 7 days correspond to the period from 24 to 30 September.
  3. From 1 October the new country pays. The parental allowance office informs it that payments have ended.

Check: €900 ÷ 30 = €30 per day; €30 × 7 = €210. ✓

The Kowalski family: returning to Poland after the birth

Anna worked in Germany until the birth. Her partner Piotr works in Poland. Anna’s employment contract ends with the birth, and she moves with the baby to join Piotr in Poland.

  1. In principle Anna is entitled to German parental allowance calculated from her income in Germany – even without residence in Germany.
  2. As long as this entitlement exists, Anna counts as employed in Germany.
  3. Nevertheless Poland pays first, for the whole family: Piotr works in Poland and the child lives there. The parents therefore (legally) work in two different countries, and the child’s country of residence takes priority (table, row 10).
  4. Germany pays any differential amount second.

If Anna were only entitled to the minimum amount, she would not count as employed. The family would then have no work-related link to Germany.

Months already received abroad

If you or the other parent have already received a benefit comparable to parental allowance or a maternity benefit abroad, this counts in Germany:

  • These months count as used-up months of basic parental allowance.
  • At most 12 months are used up per parent. If one parent received benefits abroad for longer, the partner months remain available to the other parent.
  • For these months you cannot choose ElterngeldPlus or the partnership bonus. You can, however, use remaining months as ElterngeldPlus.

Example from the guidelines (moving from France): Both parents worked in France. In the 9th month of life the father takes up a job in Germany and the family moves. The mother had received 2 months of maternity benefit and 7 months of a comparable benefit in France, the father 2 months. This uses up 2 + 7 + 2 = 11 basic months. Of 14 joint months, 14 − 11 = 3 months of basic parental allowance remain – or 6 months of ElterngeldPlus.

Second example: The mother received a comparable benefit in France for 13 months. After the move only 12 months count as used up for her, because one parent can receive at most 12 months of basic parental allowance. The father can still receive parental allowance for 2 months of life.

If, on the other hand, you receive benefits from Germany and another EU country at the same time, you can choose freely between basic parental allowance and ElterngeldPlus. See Which country pays first?.

Moving to a country outside the EU

As a rule, parental allowance requires residence or habitual abode in Germany. If you give it up, a condition ceases to apply. The entitlement then ends at the end of the month of your child’s life in which this happens.

Exceptions apply to posted workers, civil servants on assignment abroad, development workers, certain missionaries and Germans at international organisations, as well as their spouses. See Posted workers and civil servants abroad.

Staying abroad for up to one year

A longer stay abroad, for example with family, does not automatically end your residence in Germany. Your residence continues if

  • your home in Germany can be used again immediately if you return early, and
  • the stay abroad is not expected to last longer than one year as a rule, or does not actually last longer.

The parental allowance office decides in each individual case based on all the circumstances.

Moving to Germany: which income counts?

  • From an EU or EEA country or Switzerland: Your income taxed there counts like German income. It is converted at the ECB rate on the last day of the assessment period.
  • From another country (for example the USA, the United Kingdom, India, Turkey): This income does not count. If you only had such income in the assessment period, you will usually receive the minimum amount of €300 basic parental allowance.

Benefits from a country outside the EU rules that are comparable to parental allowance or maternity benefit are offset against German parental allowance. There is no €300 exemption for this. An example with Serbia is in the Guide for expats.

Your residence must really exist

The parental allowance office checks carefully whether you really live in Germany:

  • A registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) alone does not prove that your life is centred in Germany.
  • If you only had foreign income before the birth, the office checks your residence particularly closely.
  • If you last worked abroad, you need proof that the employment has ended, such as a termination confirmation or a termination agreement.
  • If your employment in a country outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland continues, the office assumes that your life is not centred in Germany.
  • If you still have your employment elsewhere in the EU, you are generally subject to that country’s law. This also applies if you receive unemployment benefit or a severance payment there after the job ends.

Unemployed and looking for work

If you come to Germany to look for work with unemployment benefit from another EU country, you are not entitled to parental allowance for the period during which you take that benefit with you under the EU regulation (three to six months). Conversely, if you receive German unemployment benefit and look for work elsewhere in the EU with a U1 certificate, you still count as “employed” in Germany.

Parental leave when moving

If your employment ends, your parental leave ends too – no matter how long you declared it for. If you resign because of a move, you also lose the protection of parental leave.

Checklist before moving

  1. Clarify who pays after the move: If your place of work or residence changes, use the click tool to check which country becomes responsible.
  2. Inform the parental allowance office: Anyone receiving parental allowance must report changes relevant to the benefit without delay. A move abroad is one of them.
  3. Apply in the new country in good time: An application to the competent office there also counts as an application in Germany – and vice versa.
  4. Collect proof: decisions on foreign benefits, payslips, termination confirmation if you worked abroad. Your own statement about foreign benefits is not enough.
  5. Non-EU citizens: Apply for your residence permit in good time. Parental allowance is only paid from the month of life after it is issued. See Residence permits.
  6. Deadlines: Parental allowance is paid retroactively only for the last three months of life before the month of application.

FAQ

Sources and legal basis

Same sources as the German page (`U7_umzug-ausland.de.md`). “RL” = Guidelines on the BEEG, as of 07/2026; “p.” = PDF page.

  • Change during a month, Haddad and Berger families: Art. 59 Implementing Regulation (EC) 987/2009; RL Part II 3.19 with examples (pp. 423–425).
  • Kowalski family: RL Part II 3.3 with example (pp. 402–403); Arts. 7, 11(2) Regulation (EC) 883/2004.
  • Months used up: section 4(3), (4) BEEG; RL 4.4.3 (pp. 246–247); RL Part II 3.18 (p. 418); RL annex V cases 4 and 5 (pp. 478–479).
  • Moving away, end of entitlement: section 1(1) no. 1, (2), section 4(2) BEEG.
  • Stay abroad up to one year, residence check, proof: RL 1.1.1.1.1 (pp. 42–43).
  • Income after moving: section 2(1) sentence 3, (4) BEEG; RL 2.1.3.2.1, 2.1.3.2.2 (pp. 101–102); exchange rate RL Part II 3.21 (p. 425).
  • Benefits from non-EU countries: section 3(1) sentence 1 no. 3, (2), (3) BEEG; RL 3.1.1.3 (pp. 215–216).
  • Unemployed: Art. 64 Regulation; RL Part II 3.4 (pp. 404–405).
  • Parental leave: RL 15.1.1.4 (p. 312); RL Part II 3.3 (p. 404).
  • Duty to report: section 60(1) sentence 1 no. 2 Social Code I.
  • Application in another country, proof, deadlines: Art. 81 Regulation; RL Part II 4.1.3 (p. 433); RL 3.1.1.1.2 (p. 214); section 7(1) BEEG.

Sources checked: November 2026

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As of November 2026.

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